Metaphor for hope
Mary and the rest of the characters all live in a small village in the middle of a forest. Living all her life surrounded by trees, Mary grew up thinking about the ocean, something no one in her village ever got the chance to see. Mary used to think about the ocean whenever she was sad so in this context the ocean can be considered as being a metaphor for the hope the characters had.
Metaphor for despair
Another metaphor used in the novel is the presence of the rain. Every time something bad or a tense moment happens, it starts to rain and the characters are exposed to it. The rain has the purpose of highlighting their emotional state and also to show the gravity of the situation.
Metaphor for commitment
An important element in the novel is the rope tied around Mary’s wrist. During the night when she was supposed to get married to Harry, a ceremonial rope was tied around Mary’s wrist to symbolize her commitment and her union with Harry. Every time Travis got close to Mary, he would stop when he would notice the rope around Mary’s writs. The rope is important because in this situation it is used as a metaphor for commitment.
Metaphor for danger
Another metaphor used in the novel to make reference to danger is the color red. The color red became a metaphor for danger after it became associated with Gabriella after she turned into a zombie. During the time she was a super-zombie, faster than the normal ones, the only things the rest of the village saw before they were attacked by her was her red vest. Thus, the color became quickly associated with her and with the danger she posed to the rest of the humans.
Metaphor for the end of the humanity
When Mary and the others find the second village, they discover a little baby zombie in a crib. The baby zombie is important because it is used here as a metaphor for the end of humanity and human kind. The little baby shows that not only the adults were affected by the zombies, but that the children were affected as well.
